Mutual Agreement
by Bill466
Summary: The two had known the other for quite a while. For better or worse, they had tolerated each other for quite some time, but after one is forced into the home of the other, they decide with how to cope with the shifting environment around them, and how their friends change their lives and leave them behind.


AN: So, yeah. Here's my contribution to this 'pairing' or whatever you prefer to call it. My first attempt at writing any type of fiction like this (or hell- writing in general), so I'd appreciate any sort of feedback. I'm not sure how well received my writing style is, so again, ANY criticism would be appreciated.

Thanks

-466

**NOTE:** Both of the characters may seem 'OOC'; I took it upon myself to imagine how they would act without their power backing (seeing as they are, logically, the two "weakest" of the Student Council.

* * *

A knocking at the door shook him from his slumber; he had fallen asleep with his neck craned over the back of his living room couch. He popped the case of his laptop open, squinting at the sudden change in light. The small clock in the corner of his screen read "11:19 A.M.". He got up, twisting his back and stretching before clearing his throat and shouting to the door.

"One moment!" He called, shaking his head to get his hair out of his eyes. He glanced down at himself, still in his usual attire (which, admittedly, wasn't very flattering- a white T- shirt and some sweats) before taking a deep breath, walking to the door and undoing the multiple locks that kept it closed. He kept the chain lock in place, slowly opening the door, peering out into the hallway. He looked at eye level, seeing only the dull gray wallpaper of the hallway. He looked down, seeing a mess of pink hair at about chest level. He rubbed his eyes, lowering his height slightly before speaking.

"Nonon? That you?" Houka called hoarsely, clearing his throat again and blinking a few times, his eyes shifting into focus. He had forgot to put his glasses on. The bob of pink hair shifted, tilting backward until he was staring straight into a pair of pink eyes.

"Yes it is, doggy. Now, are you going to let me in or not?" She called through the small crack in the door. She spoke in her shrill tone that often signaled her frustration, an emotion that she often expressed when around him. He undid the chain lock, pulling the door open and letting her walk in. She tossed her coat over the armrest of Inumuta's couch before plopping on top of the couch, kicking her shoes off at the base of his couch, leaning back. "I see you've done a lot with the place, Doggy." She took notice of his laptop on the table, reaching out to lift the lid when Houka quickly grabbed the backside of the laptop, tucking it under his arm.

"So, what exactly is it that you need?" Houka asked while looking for his glasses. He got off his knees after looking under the table to be surprised when Nonon was holding out his glasses.

"Satsuki and the rest of us just wanted to check in on you. Considering you're practically cut off from the living world when you're not out and about with us, and, well, live as far as you can from us while still being in the city- as well as becoming more and more ingoing as time goes on...well, Doggy, we're what you could say...worried." Nonon slowly replied. Houka noted it was a much more serious conversation than he typically held with her, raising an eyebrow as he sat down on the couch on the far side from her, sinking into the cushions. He grabbed his a bottle of water from a small mini- fridge he kept near the couch, cracking the lid and taking a quick drink.

"And they sent _you _as the messenger?" He sharply replied. He took another drink, setting the bottle on the table. "What a brilliant idea; to send the one person that seems to despise me the most out of all of you to deliver a heartfelt message of concern." He glanced at her, expecting her to make a snide remark about 'it's not unusual for you not to identify with emotions or caring about other people', but she simply sat there, arms crossed, staring at him. "It's that serious, huh?"

"It would seem that way, Dog." She replied, look rather neutral, which was an unknown state for her.

"Then again, considering Uzu is an athletics buff and devotes his life to it- as well as having some sort of interests in Ryuko, Ira seems to be obsessed with that Mankanshoku girl, and Satsuki is still tying to bond with Matoi, I guess you're the only one that really cared enough to take time out to come and see me then." He replied flatly. Her cheeks flushed, before she cleared her throat, continuing to listen. "I can't say I'm not impressed, Snake. You cared enough about the old Dog to come see him at his house. But, then again, it's just you who was worried, no?"

She scooted further down the couch in a way to distance herself from his accusations. "No, I mean- everyone's, still, uh- worried about you. I just wanted to come over and see if you were okay."

Houka yawned, placing his laptop on his thighs and popping the lid open, slipping his glasses on and blinking a few times before logging on, placing his elbow on the armrest. He looked to Nonon before finally sighing. "If you want to grab something to eat from my fridge, go ahead. We'll talk, just give a bit to do some things." He told her, loading up several windows on his laptop. Nonon sighed, getting up and walking to the far end of the apartment, looking around for a few moments before heading into the kitchen, and she walked out several moments later with nothing in her hands, instead shoved inside the pockets of her pants as she jumped back on the couch, staring at the wall adjacent.

She looked to the far side of the couch, opening her eyes to say something before she noticed he had a pair of headphones and the faint boom of bass could be heard from them, leaking out into the open air. She crossed her arms, looking at him with a frustrated look on her face. He continued tapping away on the keyboard, faint vocals being heard from his headphone before she picked up a magazine from the table and tossed it at Houka, who flinched as it hit his shoulder, bouncing off.

"Now, Snake, that's a bit too much. I just tol- " he was cut as she picked up another magazine, chucking it at him. He ducked down, catching the magazine and gripping Nonon's wrist tightly with his hand. He got it into a death grip, as she locked her jaw and stared at him. He squeezed tighter on her wrist, watching it turn different shades as the blood flow stopped before he released it, taking a deep breath and getting up, setting his laptop on the table and standing before Jakuzure in front of the couch.

"What do you want with me?"

Nonon smiled, looking about the room and then at Inumuta, smiling. "Seems the data machine has lost it's cool. Well, Dog, I was wondering if you wanted to actually go outside and be exposed to some fresh air. Seems to be a thing you're lacking at the current moment. You're too cooped up in here." She looked at him, giving him a genuine smile before sliding off the couch, grabbing her coat from the armrest of the couch. "I suggest you get something more warm to put on. In case you don't know, it's snowing outside." She walked off, her shoes echoing down the carpeted hallway.

Houka took a deep breath, regaining his composure before heading to his room (which it barely was; it was more a glorified closet) before grabbing slipping on a hooded jacket, some winter gear and getting a mouth cover that he slipped over his head, letting it rest over his mouth like a bandana.

It reminded him of his old Goku Uniform, and he sighed as he tried not to dwell on the thoughts. He zipped up his jacket, pulling the hood over his head and stuck his keys in his hand, unlocking his door and stepping into the hallway, locking it behind him. He shuffled his shoes across the carpeted floor, stepping into the elevator and heading down several floors, watching the glass doors of the other floors flicker by. The elevator landed on the bottom floor, the bell ringing and the doors slowly sliding open. Houka stepped out into the lobby, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he stepped outside.

The scenery that surrounded the urban street was a sight that, while not foreign to him, made him stop and take it all in for a while. He stood on the top steps outside the door to his apartment block before being nudged in the side. He flinched, looking down to see Nonon stifling a laugh.

The blue haired boy sighed, rocking on the heels of his feet. "So, what is it that you actually want to do while we're out here?" he asked, seeing his breath begin to fog up his glasses.

The snow was somewhere in-between light and heavy; the type makes urban areas navigable but less used. There were very few people on the street; a couple here, a group of children playing somewhere else. The air was chilly, and you could feel the temperature lowering and rising with the door behind them swinging open and closed for a few moments. It had some sort of meaning to Inumuta but he shrugged, looking to Nonon.

"Well?"

"Just...walk."

* * *

The two had strolled through the streets for nearly an hour, not speaking much. Mostly just walking seemed to be enough for both - for Houka, it was the presence of another human being and the reminder that the outside world existed, in a sense. Nonon was mostly enjoying the sights, waiting for an opportunity for the Dog to talk. They rounded a corner, and Houka quickly looked around before leaning against the wall.

"So, all of this makes me wonder- why would the Snake, the infamous Nonon Jakuzure, Non- Athletic Committee Chair, want to drag out the old Dog from his hole in the ground just to go on a walk in silence? For you, at least, there must be some more reason behind this." He huffed, taking off his glasses after he finished, rubbing them on the cuffs of his jacket, waiting for a response.

She pulled on the sleeves of her jacket, attempting to come back with a sort of witty comeback before sighing, standing straight and looking him straight in the eyes. "To be honest, Dog? It's you and me left with no sort of...obligations. Hell, take a look around you. Seems everyone's got some sort of obligations, with everyone we knew from the academy being practically tied up all day. Yes, maybe I could join some sort of symphony orchestra and you could retire to illegal hacking jobs and private investigation, but I'm not going to put the last year behind me like it never happened." She took a deep breath, exhaling. "Sorry."

"So you're telling me Satsuki's become more interested in her secret sister than you?"

She looked fairly upset when she finally decided to respond.

"I guess so, yeah. We still talk, but...it's not there anymore. It feels empty, like she's focused on everything else- which I guess she is. But what about you and Shiro? I thought you and him would have at least shared some common interests."

"For a time, we did. We didn't do much- he was more pressed for time as he got job offers for...I can't even remember, at this point. We drifted apart, I guess. Neither of us were really pressed to do anything." He rocked back and forth on his heels, setting his head against the wall again. "So you're saying you are lonely and don't want to be alone and forget Honnouji? Interesting."

The two stared at each other in mutual silence, both thinking over what the other had said. Houka was the first one to do anything, stuffing his hands in his pockets and taking a few steps in the direction they came, looking back at Nonon for any indication of what she was going to do until she shifted her feet, whispering something quietly under her breath. He heard this, raising an eyebrow and asking "Sorry, didn't catch that."

She swallowed nervously, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Mind if I stay at your place for a while?"

* * *

Houka shifted the key into the lock, turning it to the side until the door clicked open, pushing it back into the apartment as he allowed Nonon to walk in first. She walked, in, taking her familiar spot on the couch, opposite of the TV. The blue haired boy locked the door behind him, taking off his bandanna, stuffing it in his pocket and walking to his side of the couch that he was on earlier, grabbing the remote from the coffee table in the middle of the room, pointing it down towards the TV, turning it on. The idle noise filling the empty space in the room, as Nonon shifted her gaze to the boy next to him.

As much as she thought he was nearly what most people expected in a person like him; the "economic" hacker type- glasses, constantly wearing black, white or some vibrant neon color, bright colored hair, formal language and very business-like. As far as she knew, nobody had really gotten past the outer shell that he had made for himself- for nobody truly knew him personally. In a way, in was self imposed, but in a way, she knew that it wasn't impossible to know him- you simply just had to spend some time with him. Which, admittedly, was difficult. She scooted over towards him on the couch, until they were fairly close. Nonon was thinking of something to say, before she finally settled on nothing and decided to just sit there. Houka obviously noticed that Nonon was practically on top of him, and said nothing to stop it. He still enjoyed her company- when she did decide to be decent, she was quite the house guest.

"So, why is that you need to be spending some time with me? Having problems with the bills, job?"

"I haven't been able to pick up a job."

Nonon looked embarrassed when she said it, almost like she wanted to crawl up and hide in a turtle shell.

"So, let me ask you another thing- why not stay with Satsuki, or Uzu, or Ira? I would imagine they wouldn't mind you staying with them."

She exhaled heavily.

"Like I said when I showed up- Ira's obsessed with that friend of Ryuko's, Satsuki- as much as I enjoy her presence as a friend- it just doesn't feel like she's there now. With her and and her sister, they just sustain eachother and ignore everyone else, aside from the Mako girl. In a way it just feels like I'm alone- maybe _you _don't care about that, but I do." She slammed her head against the pillow, a light sound being heard. "Considering you're one of the last non-occupied people I know and to an extent I trust you as a friend, even if we are opposites. Or whatever you consider you and me to be."

"I certainly didn't expect such kind words coming from the Snake, but I appreciate them none the less."

"Same goes for you."

The two sat there in the common mutual silence that often emerged between them. Inumuta was unclear on what he wanted to do; he felt like he should be doing more than just sitting here and letting her words bounce off of him. He felt like he was some sort of sponge and she just spat out words, but he didn't have any meaningful responses to give.

He sighed. There had been other reasons for going to the academy; but among them was that he had no obligation to uphold appearances; not one person judged him for not having any meaningful relationships, being they friendships or romantic involvements. He had heard nothing but bad things from his acquaintances in middle school about such things being terrible to get involved in.

He turned his attention back to the girl next to him. She stared back at him, turned her head slightly before resting back against the couch and turning her attention to the TV.

The blue haired boy had quite a ways to go.


End file.
